On the occasion of the anniversary of the Hitler attack, Merkel calls the Germans to "resist" the far right | Chronic

The German Chancellor, Angela MerkelSaturday called on its compatriots to oppose right-wing extremism, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the failed attack by the German army against the dictator Adolf Hitler

The president said in her weekly video message that July 20 was a date that reminds all opponents of the National Socialist regime. "Today, we are also obliged to oppose all trends that want to destroy democracy."he said.

The colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg On July 20, 1944, he tried to end the life of Adolf Hitler by placing a bomb under the National Socialist leader's office. The attempt, inscribed in history under the name of Operation Valkyrie, failed and Hitler survived slightly injured. Stauffenberg and his accomplices, totaling about 200, were executed.

Merkel said that these officials are an example for Germany, "because they showed that they heard the voice of their conscience and, in doing so, they enrolled in the history of Germany, a story that would otherwise be determined by the & # 39; The darkness of national socialism. "

Merkel's speech coincides with the launch of the campaign for the Brandenburg regional elections of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

On 1 September, elections are held to renew the parliaments of the Brandenburg and Saxony regions, two strongholds of the ultraconservative Germans, located in the east of the country.

The party oscillates between 19 and 21% in the voting intention of Brandenburg, the state next to the capital, Berlin, and is almost at the same level as the conservative CDU of the Chancellor and the Social Democratic Party, the center.

In Saxony, the popularity of the AfD following the elections in the latest surveys was between 24 and 25%.

The AfD is already present in both hemicycles and aspires to enter for the first time in a regional government. All major German parties have announced that they do not wish to combine with the far right.